Although "Heaven's Gate" is now regarded in some circles as a misunderstood masterpiece, Michael Cimino's lavish box office flop had a lot to answer for at the time. Not only was it blamed for the death of the American New Wave, but it was also seen as the final nail in the coffin of the Western. Released in 1980, the subsequent decade was an especially fallow period for the genre, but at least we got "Three Amigos."

The drought lasted almost exactly 10 years until Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves" became a massive box office success and went on to win seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, reinvigorating the oldest and most resilient of U.S. genres once again. Two years after Costner's triumph, Clint Eastwood's harsh but lyrical "Unforgiven" was also a big hit with audiences and won the same big prizes at the Oscars. The Western was back.